Sources of UK Constitutional Law: Statutes, Common Law, Conventions, and More

The UK's uncodified constitution draws from five main sources:

1. Statutes (Acts of Parliament) – Supreme legal authority. Key examples: Magna Carta (1215), Bill of Rights (1689), Act of Settlement (1701), Parliament Acts (1911, 1949), Human Rights Act (1998), Scotland/Wales/NI devolution acts.
2. Common Law – Judge-made principles: rule of law, separation of powers, judicial review, prerogative powers, fair trial rights.
3. Constitutional Conventions – Non-legal but binding political practices: PM must resign if losing Commons confidence; monarch grants Royal Assent; Cabinet collective responsibility; Salisbury Convention (Lords don't block manifesto commitments).
4. Retained EU Law / International Law – Post-Brexit, the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 converted EU law into domestic "retained EU law." Ratified treaties (ECHR, UNCRC) create enforceable rights in UK courts via the Human Rights Act.
5. Authoritative Works – Treatises by Dicey, Bagehot, Erskine May, etc., guide interpretation but are not law.

Together, these create a flexible, evolving framework where Parliament is sovereign but politically constrained.